Loose_Grip/Pete's photos with the keyword: 78018

These days most GCR passenger trains layover at Leicester North for an extra 15minutes to give passengers the chance to visit the footplate as we sit in the headshunt. I took the opportunity to grab a shot of our loco, BR Standard 2 2-6-0 78018, from the little (& little used) platform 1. HBM to everyone, Enjoy the start of the new week.

British Railways Standard 2 2-6-0 78018 cruising up the recently cleared embankment at KInchley with the 11.55 ex-Loughborough train. HFF to everyone. Have a great weekend!

Arran takes a stance on the tender while Dave hangs on the chain. BR Standard 2 2-6-0 78018 watering north of the station.

Early morning atmosphere on shed at Loughborough with British Railways Standard 2 2-6-0 78018 raising steam for the Santa Special trains. Not my engine though as I was rostered on 9F 92214 in the yard beyond the bridge.

British Railways Standard 2 2-6-0 78018 passes Class 47 diesel 1705 Sparrowhawk in the Down sidings & approaches Beeches Road bridge just south of Loughborough Central with the 13.00 dining train. Arran the fireman looks relaxed at the cab window.

You see some interesting sights when you're pulling coal forward in the tender. HFF to everyone & have a great weekend!

British Railways Standard 2 2-6-0 78018 prepares to depart southwards from Rothley with a delayed passenger service from Loughborough. HFF everyone and a great weekend.

I grabbed this shot of British Railways Standard 2 2-6-0 78018 in the head shunt at Leicester North after I had pulled the points for the run-round on our third trip on the 21.15 diner. I had just handed over to John to fire back to Loughborough. When I had coupled up and returned to the footplate Pete kindly let me drive again.

Standard 2 2-6-0 78018 on the returning 15.30 Easter weekend service meets Standard 5 4-6-0 73156 heading south to Rothley & Leicester North. HFF & have a great & peaceful weekend.

British Railways Standard 2 2-6-0 78018 backs away from its train at the north end of Loughborough station. We had just handed over to our relief crew. H (& Peaceful) FF. Have a great weekend.

Back on shed at Loughborough locos occupied both pits so 2-6-4T 80080 was stabled under the bridge on road 2 - at least it was dry for the disposal. The fire was well and truly clinkered across the back and although this didn't actually cause any problems out on the line we ran shy of pressure. Now I had to try and clean it off the bars. The 80080 owners had decreed that the grate shouldn't be rocked as it wasn't fitted with an ashpan spray which didn't help. Alongside is Standard 2 2-6-0 78018.

British Railways Standard 2 2-6-0 78018 passing through Rushcliffe Halt on the northern section of the GCR with the 12.30 Santa Special. 78018 has just come off the single track section from Ruddington and is passing the disused Hotchley Hill signal box. These days we use smokeless fuel so no more dramatic skies and less pollution! HFF & have a great weekend.

British Railways Standard 2 2-6-0 78018 on the pit at Loughborough. We had just dropped the ashpan and with the pressure coming round we had 35 minutes before going off shed. The start of another great day on the footplate. HFF!

A rose between two thorns? My second turn on British Railways Standard 2 2-6-0 78018 on the EVR. It took 1hr 25 minutes from lighting up before the pressure gauge came off the stop but by 09.10 we had 80psi and she was coming round quickly. This shot illustrates the fact that the EVR is mainly a diesel railway as did the guard's request for air after coupling up - unlike the diesels 78018 is vacuum-braked of course. Our loco is flanked by Class 73 electro-diesel 73210 Selhurst and Class 31 diesel 31601 in the yard.

In the rain Duncan walks along the platform at Idridgehay station to open the crossing gates as we wait on British Railways Standard 2 2-6-0 78018 with the returning train from Duffield. The EVR is a game of two halves really: the Up trains coast downhill all the way from Wirksworth to Duffield while Down trains climb all the way at a ruling gradient of 1 in 100. It makes a change for the engine (& fireman!) to get a decent workout. 5 coaches up 1 in 100 is a bit more work for a Class 2 than it would get at the Great Central.

British Railways Standard 2 2-6-0 78018 passing through Rushcliffe Halt on the northern section of the GCR with the 12.30 Santa Special. Class 20 diesel D8154 was bringing up the rear. 78018 ran non-stop through the station and made a fine sight heading into the afternoon light. It's good to see this engine helping out the GCR(N) after the recent failure of their engine.

Ex-Nuneaton engine shed one and all. Driver Fred and Fireman John were both firemen at Nuneaton in the early 1960s and British Railways Standard 2 2-6-0 78018 spent a short period on the shed (albeit never actually steaming!) in 1966. Here they are all taking a breather at the platform end at Rothley with the mid-week GCR train back to Loughborough.

Looking out for the Section signal. British Railways Standard 2 2-6-0 78018 has just passed under Beeches Road bridge on the way out of Loughborough with the 13.00 Elizabethan dining train.